Category: Our Work

Looking to the past to create a better future

A performance commissioned by New York University Abu Dhabi’s The Art Centre, Metro Diaries is an engaging theatrical journey that transforms public transit into a stage, bringing to life the untold stories of Dubai’s diverse commuters.

Metro Diaries is +63Kolektib’s first originally-devised work. It’s a collection of stories and lived experiences of working migrants in the UAE, born from its main collaborators–Juan Gonzales, Jomel Reyes, and Trixie Danielle.

In collaboration with dance artist Rei Co, who started her professional career at the age of 12 and is a member of Sima Dance Company. She was brought to Dubai at just three months old, and has a unique understanding of what it means to live between both worlds. These artists weave their personal narratives of these themes through embodied movement.

Musings of a collective moving experience

Metro Diaries invites audiences to step into a world where movement and poetry intertwine, reflecting the rhythm of daily metro rides. Through evocative performances that blend spoken word, dance, and live soundscapes, the experience unfolds in vignettes that capture fleeting connections, moments of solitude, and the universal search for belonging.

Designed fluidly by mirroring the spontaneity of real metro journeys—passengers board, interact, and part ways, each carrying a story. Some encounters are lighthearted, filled with warmth and curiosity, while others reveal the deeper struggles and resilience of migrant communities. At its core, Metro Diaries is a meditation on loss, hope, and grounding—three universal threads that bind all travelers together, whether on a train or through life.

Public Workshops

All throughout its pre-production, the collective held free experiential workshops that were also open to the public. These introductory workshops on writing, acting, and contemporary dance challenged participants to explore the wide range of emotions, movements, and scenarios that arise from the everyday task of commuting in Dubai. 

These sessions invite participants to share their own narratives, exploring the power of theatre as a means of connection and cultural expression.

+63Kolektib’s reimagination of Christine Bellen’s adaptation of the classic ‘Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang’ tells the story of a doting grandmother as a migrant, bringing with her the Philippines in an overseas Filipino household.

Ang Prinsipeng Mahaba ang Ilong (The Prince with a Long Nose) grew up thinking that he looked normal until he first stepped out of their castle.

Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Mahal na Datu (The Lady who Defeated a King) introduces Sharay, a servant’s daughter from Tondo who surpassed the King’s three challenges to make herself worthy of the prince.

Ang Prinsipeng Duwag (The Cowardly Prince) tells the tale of Prince Marko and his lack of courage to fight for his country against an impending invasion – but behind a successful man, there is a woman.

With the enchanting melodies of acclaimed Filipino folk singer-composer Noel Cabangon, this promises to be an extraordinary and unforgettable experience for all.

This was performed at Bayt Al Mamzar and 421 Arts Campus.

Lola Basyang in a migrant Filipino Home

In many Filipino homes, where both parents work, you will find a grandparent usually a lola (grandmother) who is looking after the young ones.

It is not a different sight in migrant Filipino homes especially in the UAE; where the cost of employing a nanny will already take a huge percentage from the total household income. Thereby, making lola a kind of OFW— a migrant.

This adaptation reimagines Lola Basyang as such. Their presence in an OFW home somehow adds to the Filipinoness of the household – their usual preference for speaking in their mother tongue rather than English (as is the case for many young Filipino families); the customs and traditions that they tell (or force) you to observe; let’s not even talk about the food they cook; their fondness for Filipino entertainment; and of course, the stories they tell.

She brings the Philippines in a Filipino home overseas.

Lola Basyang’s arrival in the UAE sets the stage aglow, her suitcase bearing her most cherished treasure: tales of dazzling adventures, enchanting magic, and enduring humanity. In a land where tradition and modernity converge, the question lingers – will her grandchildren embrace her tales or will it feel too distant and unrelatable for them?

This play delves into the balance between preserving the past and embracing the future, weaving a timeless enchantment that binds generations through storytelling’s potent magic, uniting the young and old in a tapestry of wonder and wisdom.

Her apo (grandchildren) enters the scene and the storytelling begins.

The three selected stories, each with a unique theme, are intertwined to an overarching narrative that narrates some of the lived experiences of second-generation Filipino children.

This moving piece follows the stories of Azon, Lilibeth, and Gracia—three Filipinas working abroad in different countries and professions. While waiting at a remittance center, they begin to share their lived experiences as migrant workers. Through monologues written by Christine Belen, the play captures the emotional struggles, resilience, and sisterhood of Filipina overseas workers.

Inspired by Many Journeys, Many Voices: A Tribute to Filipina Overseas Workers (2015), the production highlights the challenges faced by Filipina women abroad—juggling roles as workers and mothers, overcoming mistreatment, and building friendships in unfamiliar lands. A community-led initiative in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, the play invites audiences to reflect on the vital role of Overseas Filipina Women in shaping the nation, even from afar.

The first staging was 2018 at the Rizal Hall of PCG Dubai and on 2019, it was toured in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.